Western cyclone., 1887-10-28


base of which ran deep, rapid river.
This is what the IDIOT saw: A man,
bareheaded and with hair in wild dis
order, his clothing soiled and torn,
tugging and pushing and prying at an
immense log he had rolled down the
embankment In his hands he held
long, heavy lever, made from an oak
sapling, he had prepared and driven
braces against one end of the log and
was now straining every nerve to place
the heavy timber across the track,
where more braces were lying with
which to fasten it there, 50 as to make
its resistance more powerful.
1t may have been instinct or it may
have been CLEAN of reason, heaven
sent, but Billy comprehended the
whole in an instant. The man was
Walter Black; in his insane jealousy
and desire for revenge he was willing
to sacrifice any number in order to de-
stroy the woman who rejected him and
the man who had won her.
Just then the whistle of the train,
as it drew up at the station, a mile
away, was heard. Black had chosen
well the point for his develish work;
the curve was sharp and the engineer
would not see the obstruction until
right upon it. For once Billy was in
different to that dreaded noise; with a
yell that rivaled the scream of his
terror, he rushed upon the would-be
wholesale murderer. His remarkable
strength and good health stood in his
favor then. Black, taken by surprise,
was hurled to the ground; the heavy
lever dropped from his hand and rested
against the timber, which was at an
angle across the track. The idiot
threw himself upon the man he hated.
He WIS wild with rage, and for the
moment thought only Of choking the
life out of the coward. Then he re-
laxed his clutch upon his throat and
started to drag his enemy across the
track to throw him over the embank-
ment into the river. A sad mistake.
Black gathered his wits and energies,
long knife flashed from under
his coat and raising himself
he struck and struck again and
again, the sharp, cruel steel into the
body Of his captOr. The idiot, covered
in an instant with blood, never fal-
tered. Again he closed with and
grappled his man. with terrible blow
he struck the knife from his hand, and
it fell yards away. Then it was man
to man; the whistle of departure was
heard up the line, soon the rumbling
Of the coming train could be felt on
the rails as in their struggles the two
combatants were thrown across the
irons. Each seemed imbued with the
same idea, to hold his foe upon the
track until the train should crush him
They fought in silence, they looked
like nothing human, with torn cloth
ing, filth and blood thick upon them,
they rolled, and struggled and bit, and
struck, and Writhed and interWined
their limbs, and rose up and fell down.
1t was fearful sight, fight Of deadly
hate, fight for life for self, for
slaughter Of the other.
The train came rushing on, they
could hear iC now. Black was watch
ing with cool villainy and taking all
advantage to save his strength for the
final effort, while Bill was crazy with
rage, every moment growing weaker
from loss Of blood.
On comes the train, it is on the
curve, another second it will round
into view. Each man puts forth all
his strength; they hardly know where
they are, except that hand, head and
foot, they are fighting desperately.
A rush, a roar, the great timber,
fastened only on one side Of the track
if pushed aside, but the force sends
something flying high in the air, it is
long and black, it descendS with won
derful rapdity and, as though q thun-
derbOt aimed by Jove himself, it
smiteS with full force the the head OF
man who is struggling with another
in the ditch by the road side.
The brains that were in that mans
head are scattered over the blood and
dirt begrimed figure that lies motion
less under what is now a frightful.
ghastly corpse.
The train has stopped, men pa5sen-
gers hurry out, among them the young
husband of Alice. He recognizes the
living and the dead Provision is
made for disposal of both. 1t was not
hard for him to weave an almost cor
rect story from the tell tale evidence
about him, and when Billy recovered
as he did, Alice who knew how to un
Il hic
learned the truth Of the whole.
And Silly Billy is and always will be-
the hero OF Norville while he lives
To Alice. her husband, and their child
rem he is more. he is loved and hon
ored friend.